BREAKING: Tinubu’s Govt Suspends Air Nigeria Indefinitely, Gives Reason
Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over 9 years of experience covering public journalism.
FCT, Abuja – The Bola Tinubu government on Monday, May 27, announced the indefinite suspension of the Air Nigeria airline project.
As reported by The Nation, Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation and aerospace development, disclosed this in Abuja at the ministerial briefing to celebrate the first year of the Tinubu administration.
According to him, the airline was never a Nigerian airline but instead, an attempt to impersonate a foreign airline operating in Nigeria.
Vanguard newspaper also noted the Nigerian government’s latest decision on Air Nigeria.
Keyamo said:
“It remains suspended. It was never Air Nigeria. It was not Air Nigeria. That’s the truth. It was only painted Air Nigeria. It was Ethiopian Airlines trying to flag our flag.
“If it is so, why not allow our local people to fly our flag? Why bring a foreigner to fly our flag? So nobody should dispute that it was Air Nigeria.
“Air Nigeria must be indigenous, must be wholly Nigerian, and must be for the full benefits of Nigeria, not that 50 percent of the profit is for another country.”
In 2023, the ministry of aviation, under Hadi Sirika, former minister, unveiled Nigeria Air — three days before the end of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
The development had elicited concerns among stakeholders nationwide over the ownership arrangement which gave Ethiopian Airlines a 49 percent equity stake.
The federal government had a 5 percent equity, while a consortium of three Nigerian investors had 46 percent.
More to follow…
Source: Legit.ng
